Rest is Hard to Come By
by trxr4kids
Summary: Jazmine Dubois had a hard day. Is sleep too much to ask for in the Freeman household?


A chill traveled trough the air, rustling the the trees and sweeping debris across the empty parking lot. A young girl, only ten years of age, sat alone on the curb with her head slung downward. She began to grind her foot into the gravel, listening to the rocks scrap against one another and wrote her name along with many other simple drawings. It was late afternoon and the sun was obstructed by many slow, heavy looking clouds. The girl leaned back and looked up at the sky; her two large, fuzzy puffs of hair bouncing with her movements. There must have been a good reason why he wasn't here yet. She never doubted her daddy and concluded that he was either in imminent danger or out shopping for the most glamorous pony to surprise her with. To distract herself from the fear that materialize by being alone , she daydreamed about that pony. She closed her eyes and created a world where she and the magical Equidae went on numerous adventures; saving the day from evil and then having celebratory tea parties. "I love you pony." She said endearingly, smiling and petting her companion's warm, furry mane. The colorful animal faced her and looked as if he were about to respond with his own words of love, but a tear simply fell from his dark, auburn eye. The tear slid down his muzzle and landed directly onto the mixed girls nose. Her eyes opened in shock and another teardrop landed on her another. Jazmine sighed and stuffed her hair into the pink hoodie of her jacket to avoid the rain. She looked back at the school and immediatelyregretted it. It was now a dark, ominous building, void of any signs of life. She shivered inwardly and ignored the rate at which her heart was beating. She tried to ignore the sudden noises she heard in the bushes and behind her; to ignore the cold rain that had begun to sink through her clothing. The rainfall was increasing at a steady rate along with the wind speed. Her eyes closed again. She tried to make Mr. Pony come back; come back and save her. It got to the point where she couldn't differentiate between her tears and the rain that slid down her face. She prayed to God her daddy was on his way...with that pony too.

She saw two lights approach her at equal speeds. Once it was close enough, she recognized it as a vehicle. The car slid to a halt in the gravel and a tall figure stepped out with an umbrella. "Jazmine, get in the car baby girl." It was not who she had expected, but she really wasn't in the position to be picky. Jazmine slowly stood up, almost forgetting how to use her legs, and trudged after Mr. Freeman to the back seat of his beloved 'Dorthy'. She got in and sat down with a squish. Never before had she felt so icky.

"Where's...my daddy?" her voice sounded hoarse and almost unrecognizable, even to herself.

"He got a little sidetracked at work, baby. He want to let you know he's sorry." She heard a skeptical scoff follow Mr. Freeman's explanation. It was only then when she realized the dark brown afro sticking out from the passenger seat. Silence followed shortly after and Jazmine sunk deep into the car's upholstery. The droning purr of the engine and the monotonous swipe of the windshield wipers was enough to make her eyelids heavy. After a while, she felt the car come to a stop. Finally. She wanted to do nothing more than snuggle into her own bed and forget the whole ordeal. The car door opened and there stood her revolutionary companion, Huey Freeman, with a large umbrella in hand and a stone cold look on his face. Anyone else would be offended by the child's demeanor, but Jazmine welcomed it wearily. It was something familiar, at least. She stepped out of the car and underneath the portable shelter and muttered a sniffled thanks for his assistance. He stiffly nodded in return and headed for the house; making sure that she was able to follow.

Looking up, Jazmine noticed that the house she was approaching was not that of her own. She watched as Mr. Freeman stood on the porch and sifted through his ring of keys, mumbling to himself. She coughed, "Mr. Freeman...why am I at your house?" Huey gave an audible sigh.

"Well baby, yo' momma called and let me know that she was working late as well..." He finally got the door opened after what seemed like an eternity, "So you get to stay with us tonight. Won't that be fun?" Jazmine hurried in, plopped on the wooden floor, and began to take off her shoes and soggy jacket; a ritual she was accustom to at home.

"I...guess..." She wasn't sure if she could believe the ol' 'Grandad', but she barely held the energy to be adequately distrustful. Huey stepped over her and into the house, placing the now closed umbrella into the holder located beside the door. His bottom lip was jutted out in a pouting fashion and he said something to Grandad about someone 'not being as dumb as they looked' and how they 'deserved the truth'. After taking off as much clothes as she could, while still being decent of course, Jazmine gather up the wad and walked up to the pair as they were conversing.

"Boy, shut up and go up stairs. Make sure Riley's outta tha bathroom...and not naked either. I dunno what that boy does when we're away." With that, Huey gave Jazmine one last steady look before heading upstairs in obedience. Jazmine was starting to feel extremely cold and foreign in the Freeman's home. "OkieDokie..." the old man was trying to liven up his voice with no avail, "Hows about you take a shower and get some rest?" He took the dripping pile of clothes from her, "I'll take care of these. You just go to bed, alright?"

Jazmine was very grateful, though she doubted her green, glazed-over eyes showed it. "Thank you..." She smiled and headed up stairs, secretly wishing she heading for her own bed.

"Good night, baby girl."

There were more stairs than she anticipated; that, or her legs were much too tired. Once she arrived to the second floor, she had the oldest Freeman brother waiting for her. He shoved something into her hands. She looked at him confusedly, not even bothering to try to identify the item for herself. Huey sighed, "It's one of Grandad's old shirts. It's extra-large so it should cover enough on you." I took a while for the confused look to fade from Jazmine's face. Now she understood what he meant. "Bathroom's over there." He jutted his thumb in the correct direction. She knew good and well where their bathroom was and was slightly annoyed at his rush to rid of her.

"I know that!" she squeaked trying her best to match his glare (which was virtually impossible).

"You're welcome." He grunted and turned to enter his room.

She felt a little bad about snapping at him, but knew he just acted offended to make her feel guilty. She knew his game and had no time for it tonight. The shower was short and effective. Jazmine felt a little more human after ridding herself of the mud between her toes. She threw the old t-shirt on that respectively had "Cancun 92'" spray painted on it and saw that Huey's words held truth. It was more like a cotton dress on her. Very comfortable, indeed. Exiting the steamy bathroom, she made her way to the guest room. She knew exactly where she was welcomed when she spent nights at the Freeman household. The door creaked as she slowly pulled it open and flicked on the lights. A small gasp escaped from her mouth. Mr. Freeman must have not been expecting company. On the bed, a tray of half eaten strawberries and an empty bottle of champagne were scattered on the mattress. The sheets were sprawled wildly across the headboard and floor. She looked around and saw feminine chocolate hand prints scattered around the room and on the mirror. Scandalous lingerie hung from the ceiling fan, which slowly rotated; mocking the poor girl. She just wanted sleep. Was that too much to ask? Turning the light back off, she headed toward the only other place she knew a bed was located. The door was even louder than the guest room's and she knew her entrance was already announced. Her steps made firm thumps and the floorboard creaked a symphony before she even came close to her destination. She stood still beside Huey Freeman's bed, not sure of what to do next. The form in the bed steadily rose and fell with calming breaths that could only signify sleep. She reached out, wondering if waking him was the best idea.

"Go away, Jazmine." He hadn't even turned around. He spoke to her quietly; face to Afro.

"Huey...you gotta let me in." she pleaded in a harsh whisper as to not wake the youngest Freeman boy. She definitely didn't need Riley in on the argument, that was for sure. "Look I just want to sleep..."

He turned now and she could see his tired eyes peer at her (with the help of a dim polar bear nightlight located beside the Gansta's bed). "So do I. Go to the Guestroom."

Jazmine was starting to get really tired. "Don't you think I've tried that? It's not in sleeping condition. Just scoot over." It took a conscience effort not to whine loudly to him in her usual fashion.

"So what, there're no giant plushies or unicorn pillows. You'll live, I promise."

Jazmine didn't have time for this; she looked at the digital clock on the mantle. 12:35. Without thinking, she fell over like a falling tree and landed on the fuzziest pillow she had ever felt before. It took her only seconds to realize the mistake she had made. Two hands fiercely pushed her up and before she knew it she was standing once again. Why was sleep so hard to find? Her knees shivered at the reacquired weight.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You don't just go around laying on people's head like that!" Huey's voice was laced with groggy annoyance.

He wasn't the only one who was annoyed either."Well maybe if you would just let me sleep, I wouldn't fall on people!" Why couldn't he see that it was not the time to be stubborn. "If it was my choice I _**would **_be in my bed with all my plushies right now, but my parents are busy so...just...just move!" her volume spiked with the last command.

"You're parents are busy fighting each other." He darkly spat and bit his tongue. Sometimes the poor truth bearing revolutionist could be a little too truthful.

Huey listened for a rebuttal; for some sort of innocent denial that his naive friend would usually concoct in defense. "...I just want some sleep." Her voice was so solemn that it almost matched his. He looked up from his covers and saw that she was fighting just to keep her eyes open, let alone stand. He realized that he was being unreasonable; though never would admit it. Without another word he scooted over and threw back the blanket allowing her inside his slumber sanctuary.

Jazmine did not jump for joy; no high pitch screams of excitement erupted from her throat. She sluggishly crawl in; the confined space already heated by Huey's presence. Her body squirmed this way and that for a moment, trying to create comfort of the strange terrain. Closing her eyes, she spotted her pony friend galloping toward her. "You finally came!" She cheered watching the majestic animal strut closer. "I knew you'd come and save me." She hugged her loyal companion's neck and stroked his warm, fuzzy mane. "I love you Pony." she closed her eyes and nuzzled into the soft curve his neck.

"_Goodnight Jazmine_." the pony said softly in an awfully familiar voice.

With one last stroke of Huey's hair, Jazmine drifted deeper into the realm of dreams. Huey followed shortly after, lightly snoring, and deciding that just this once he could be a pony for the night.


End file.
